The Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office and the Los Altos Police Department are working to identify more local victims after a routine November traffic stop resulted in the discovery of stolen checks and mail, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
As of Dec. 10, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office has identified 13 victims. Residents from Los Altos, Los Altos Hills and Mountain View were determined to have been victims of mail theft.
A sheriff’s deputy stopped a white Mercedes-Benz at the intersection of Saratoga Avenue and Latimer Avenue in San Jose at 3:15 p.m. Nov. 26. The driver was identified as Los Angeles resident Marvin De Leon, 23; he was discovered to have multiple felony warrants related to weapons charges, according to Brooks Jarosz, Sheriff’s Office senior communications officer. A passenger, Los Angeles resident Luis Casana Martinez, 24, was the registered car owner.
In a consequential search of the vehicle, deputies discovered more than 100 checks and other pieces of mail.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that some of that mail had been stolen from a USPS blue collection box, while additional items and mail were taken from residential mailboxes,” Jarosz stated in an email.
According to Los Altos Sgt. Steve Spillman, checks were located from Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Ramon, San Jose and Los Angeles.
De Leon and Casana Martinez were both booked on charges including conspiracy, mail theft and identity theft, he said.
Spillman said that there has been a spike in stolen mail and checks from the Los Altos Post Office in downtown Los Altos. His advice is to only mail checks when absolutely necessary.
“Certified mail and/or having mail scanned by a postal clerk my help avoid stolen mail. Don’t place outgoing mail in mail boxes – walk into the Post Office, especially if mailing checks,” he stated. “Mail gets stolen, checks get washed and residents get victimized. Electronic payments, auto payments, or in person payments cut down on check fraud from stolen mail. Nothing is foolproof, but this may help to reduce the amount of check fraud.”
Anyone with information related to this case is encouraged to contact the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office at (408) 808-4500.
